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Centrist Senate Republicans are likely to get a new ally in Sen.-elect Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), according to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

"Tea party" Republicans aren't the only candidates poised to make inroads this year - moderate Republicans are surging from Illinois to California, and in several instances proving they can best tea-party-powered conservatives at the polls. Take the Illinois Republican Senate primary: Patrick Hughes, a developer and political newcomer, seemed to have the wind at his back as a staunch fiscal conservative and favorite of the tea party movement. His chief rival, Rep. Mark Kirk, was routinely blasted as a RINO - Republican in Name Only - for his more moderate record, which includes votes for cap-and-trade emissions legislation and the...

Newser) – Moderate Mark Kirk has won Illinois’ Republican Senate primary, blowing away two conservative opponents backed by tea-party contingents. The congressman has 56% of the vote with more than 82% of precincts reporting—giving him a 37% lead over Patrick Hughes. Analysts predicted that a clear Kirk victory would take much of the steam out of the tea-party movement. On the Democratic side, the Chicago Tribune reports, state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias looks close to clinching the nomination, setting up a fight with Kirk for the Senate seat vacated by President Obama.

Suggested focus thread for Illinois Primary Election talk and results. The polls close at 7:00 p.m. CST. LET'S GO CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pat Hughes is the only one with a shot to defeat left wing extremist Republican Mark Kirk. Adam has momentum with Lech Walesa and tea partiers in Illinois. Brady and Proft are choices 2 and 3. For Lt. Governor Tracy, White, or Plummer Comptroller Jim Dodge

CHICAGO - Buoyed by their surprise Senate victory in Massachusetts, Republicans in President Barack Obama's home state of Illinois sense the Senate seat he left vacant is ripe for their picking come November elections. Obama's Democrats have long dominated Illinois politics. But Republicans view their man Scott Brown's capture in January of the late Edward Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts as a sign of voter dismay with Democrats in the White House and Congress. Public opinion polls ahead of Tuesday's party primaries in Illinois show five-term U.S. Representative Mark Kirk likely to win the Republican nomination easily. Favored to win the...

Conservatives, Tea Partiers, and 912 organizations need to make the hard decision to coalesce around a conservative candidate to mount any type of challenge to the GOP’s liberal candidate, Mark Kirk. When there are numerous conservative candidates splitting the conservative vote, the liberal candidate will win. The only Conservative Republican candidate for Senate that has resources, message, and organization to mount a challenge to Mark Kirk is Patrick Hughes. He needs all Conservative votes to defeat Kirk in the GOP primary and to drive the Conservative message forward to Victory in the General Election. With four good conservatives in the...

YouTube - hughesforsenate's Channel

Money Bomb: Help Us Reach Our Goal Of $50,000 Today We are exactly one week away from the primary election in Illinois and we have a chance to make a final nationwide push to stop the RINO Mark Kirk from being the Republican nominee. Mark Kirk is the Republican Establishment's liberal golden boy who will turn his back on the Republican Party and its voters the day he is elected. Mark Kirk had no problem bailing out Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama when he voted for Cap and Trade as a Congressman. What will he bailout for them as a...

BECAUSE I THINK SHE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD SAVE HIS CAMPAIGN AT THIS LATE DATE: Come one Sarah; I think everyone should go to her website (& co-websites: Twitter & Facebook & other social networking): AND ask her to endorse Patrick Hughes over Mark Kirk. DO we really want a MARK KIRK REPUBLICAN winning the Senate Race on the coat-tails of the Tea Party Movement?!: http://www.patrickhughesforsenate.com/Home.aspx DONATE AND SUPPORT PLEASE..

Patrick Hughes endorsed by Mark Levin Last Friday, Patrick was asked to be a guest on the Mark Levin show. Mark is a New York Times best selling conservative author and nationally syndicated radio host. He is a regular guest on the Sean Hannity show and other Fox News programs. Last week, Mark Levin endorsed Patrick and his campaign for U.S. Senate on air after the two discussed the campaign. Listen to the audio of the show and pass it on to your friends!

Patrick Hughes for Senate Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund Endorses Patrick Hughes for Senate in Illinois January 2010 Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund is pleased to endorse Patrick Hughes for U.S. Senate in the February 2nd Illinois Republican primary. Patrick Hughes’ commitment to the right to keep and bear arms is unwavering. Mr. Hughes understands that gun prohibitions turn law-abiding citizens into easier targets for violent criminals. Unlike his primary opponent, Patrick Hughes does not support laws that treat people who simply want to own a gun to protect their families like second class citizens. The...

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D) still hold a considerable lead over their respective party opponents heading into the Feb. 2 primary, according to the third poll released in 24 hours about the open-seat Senate race in Illinois... Kirk holds an even more commanding lead in the GOP primary field with 42 percent. His chief competition, real estate developer Patrick Hughes (R), had 9 percent of support in the poll and 39 percent were undecided. These results were also similar to the Chicago Tribune poll, but Hughes scored better by about 20 points in his own...

One year ago Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States. He took office and began implementing his agenda of “change.” This agenda could be summarized as: “Government taking control.” This year we have a chance to fix what is broken, stop massive government spending, and put an end to a Washington that is only interested in helping Washington. This year is not about Illinois or Massachusetts. It is not about Florida or California. This year is about taking our liberty back from a government that is taking it away through rapid growth. It is about taking our...

My fellow Freepers, the biggest liberal in the Republican Party, Mark Kirk of Illinois, is less than two weeks away from winning the GOP Primary for the US Senate seat. Illinois has the earliest of all primaries in the country (Feb 2nd). Polls show him up over the conservative Patrick Hughes by double digits. However, with nothing short of a nationwide Scott Brown-effort, I believe Hughes can pull off a miracle. Do we really want Kirk in the the US Senate. Let's review who Kirk really is: 1) Kirk voted for Cap and Trade 2) Kirk is pro-abortion (got a...

When we talk about seizing an opportunity to knock off RINO's like Kirk, who voted for Cap and Trade and holds a whole host of liberal positions on the issues, this is that opportunity. This is not a three way race like NY-23. Hughes and Kirk square off in the GOP primary on February 2, 2010. That is 3 weeks from today. The winner will likely take on Alexis Giannoulias in the general election in November. Giannoulias is beatable. After you listen to Hughes', you will realize this is an all-hands-on-deck affair for conservatives. Hughes will need lots of help...

llinois' Tea Party movement has not decided upon one candidate for U.S. Senate, as Illinois Review mistakenly implied Friday in the first sentence of the post "Will Co. Tea Party Alliance plans to "Stop Mark Kirk","  state Tea Party contact Denise Cattoni pointed out Saturday. "Each individual group can endorse a candidate if they so choose; however, there are almost 40 groups in the state of Illinois.  Patrick Hughes is the Will County's choice for Senate seat; however, other groups may not, or haven't made a decision yet," Cattoni wrote via email.  "As a grassroots movement, each group is entitled to make an...

Could Illinois Senate candidate Patrick Hughes be the next insurgent Republican candidate to get the backing of Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)? Hughes is slated for his second meeting with DeMint on Thursday (the two also met in September), and DeMint’s Senate Conservative Fund website is currently polling visitors on whom they support in Hughes’s primary with Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). DeMint has backed former Rep. Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania, Marco Rubio in Florida and Chuck DeVore in California, all in the face of establishment favorites. Toomey, of course, soon assumed that mantle when Sen. Arlen Specter switch to the Democratic...